Telling others how to roleplay

[billd91]

It's metagaming to notice how injured someone is, and decide to hold off on healing because they are not injured to the point where it is worth burning a finite number of healing spells when someone else might need them more later?

I think you've decided to side with some of the players against the clleric player, if this is how you are approaching the issue now. What your cleric player did is perfectly reasonable, and how most cleric's I've seen handle that exact same issue. In fact - ALL clerics I've seen make a judgment call in when healing is worth doing and when it isn't, in a similar manner to the call your cleric player made.

In my opinion, it's the other players whining that is the issue, not the cleric player. And a DM who won't take back control over his game because he is worried about issues of fairness when that very sense of fairness is what is resulting in an wholing unjust result.

I would tell the other players to shut up already, and if they dont like it just take some cleric levels. And if the cleric player feels like his character has been driven from the game, and you see that as at least possible, let him replace him with an equal level. THAT would be the just thing to do. In fact, that would be the more enjoyable thing for everyone involved. And if other players try and claim they can do it also, tell them no, that this is a special case, and THAT IS THE END OF THE DISCUSSION! You are the DM. Take back control from your players.

I really can't agree with this. If ALL of the other players are complaining, then it's a problem. This may be a role-playing game, but if someone's idea of playing is pissing everyone else off, it's the wrong way to play a cooperative game. It's no way to treat your gaming buddies and you should treat them with considerably more respect.

As far as playing a cleric, I don't buy any arguments for taking the healing domain and not playing someone with at least an eye on healing. Domain powers should not be granted lightly by the gods. Healers who don't heal have clearly taken the wrong domain and should be treated by their gods accordingly. It didn't sound from this discussion that the cleric was being badgered about healing requests and so I don't think other characters over-relying on the healer cleric is an issue. Were I the DM in this case, if the player wanted to continue on with the character, I'd make him shift his domain focus barring any stunningly moving argument to the contrary.

I don't want to dictate how players play their characters, but I do expect them to adhere to the characters they have laid out in their backgrounds, their alignment selections, and other powers and ability focuses. Taking a power or domain without playing out the implications smacks of excessive metagaming to me, unless the character has gone through a noticeable evolution (which I'm willing to make allowances for and expect to see role-played out).